Retreat Centers
Pura Vida Adventures – Surf & Yoga Retreats for Women
Pura Vida Adventures has run all-inclusive surf and yoga weeks in Santa Teresa, on Costa Rica's southern Nicoya Peninsula, since 2003. Most weeks are for women, including women over 50 and mothers with daughters, and a few coed camps run each year; it suits beginners who want proper surf coaching with yoga every day.
Pura Vida Adventures runs week-long, all-inclusive surf and yoga retreats in Santa Teresa, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. It started in 2003, and most of its weeks are for women. It's one of the longest-running women's surf retreats in Costa Rica, and its site says about 30% of guests come back.
The retreats
The calendar mixes several kinds of week:
- Women's retreats, the core of the program.
- Women 50+ weeks.
- Mother-daughter weeks in the summer.
- Coed camps, plus a Thanksgiving week (Surfsgiving) and a New Year's camp.
Dates are published well ahead: when we checked in November 2026, the calendar ran through November 2027. A week includes surf coaching, daily yoga, meals and a massage. Check their website for current rates.
Surf coaching
Surf lessons are the center of the week. Pura Vida keeps groups small, with no more than 3 students per instructor, gives hands-on coaching in the water and uses video analysis so you can see what to change. Beginners are welcome, and the instructors choose beaches around Santa Teresa to suit the tide and the group's level.
Yoga
Yoga runs every day in a beachfront, open-air studio, a good balance to hours of paddling. Pura Vida also publishes a sample daily schedule on its site if you want to see how surf, yoga and free time fit together.
Where you stay
The retreats are based at Hotel Tropico Latino, a beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa with tropical gardens and a pool. Rooms have air conditioning, ceiling fans, private bathrooms, safes and mini-fridges.
Getting to Santa Teresa
From San José, the quickest way is a short flight to the Cóbano airstrip, then a drive Pura Vida puts at up to an hour. By road, allow about 4.5 hours with the car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, or about 5 hours from Liberia. For more on choosing a retreat like this, see our guide to yoga retreats in Costa Rica, and for the town itself, the Santa Teresa section of where to do yoga in Costa Rica.
Website: Pura Vida Adventures
Frequently asked questions
Is Pura Vida Adventures only for women?
Mostly. Most weeks are women's retreats, including women 50+ and mother-daughter weeks, but it also runs a few coed camps each year.
Do I need to know how to surf?
No. Beginners are welcome, and surf groups have no more than 3 students per instructor.
Where do the retreats take place?
At Hotel Tropico Latino, a beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa on the southern Nicoya Peninsula.
How long is a retreat?
A week. Each retreat on its calendar runs 7 days, for example 14 to 20 November 2026.
[Updated on: 4 November 2026]
